Michigan State defensive end William Gholston has been suspended for one game by the Big Ten Conference for his unsportsmanlike conduct in the game last week against Michigan, the league announced Thursday.

Gholston received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the game – one for twisting the facemask of Michigan QB Denard Robinson, even after Robinson had been tackled; the second came after he hit tackle Taylor Lewan in the face.

The Big Ten also publicly reprimanded Gholston.

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio had not levied a suspension on Gholston. Earlier this week, he defended the way his team plays.

“No, I’m proud of how our team plays,” he told the Detroit News. “We’re just playing the game hard. The lack of composure is frustrating but we’re not coaching that.”

His teammates said that Gholston is “not a dirty player.”

“I know him, our team knows him, our coaches know who he is,” safety Trenton Robinson told the paper, “so all of that other stuff that people talk about outside of these walls is for the birds.”